Fire in The Hole
by Monserratt2020
Summary: A story about fires, family, hurt, love, danger and laughter.
1. Chapter 1

_**Sorry guys; seems like the first version was corrupted when I loaded it. I fixed it.**_

I know it has been a while since I've written; crazy busy life, you know how it is!

I hope you all enjoy this 'ride' (You all know I love me a cliffhanger)

**Fire in The Hole**

His lungs were burning; every breath felt like it was tearing at his insides with vicious persistence. He turned his head towards what he thought was the sound of footsteps, trying to decide if there was something he could use to defend himself in case the thugs had found him again, but it was getting harder to think due to the smoke and the heat; this is really not how he saw his day turning out at all….

**Earlier that day…**

"Hey kiddo!" Jack chimed as he walked into the locker room. He was halfway through a donut.

Jack was the only guy Mac knew that could, in his 50s, still eat like a 20-year-old one second and turn into a deadly, precise and sleek killing Delta the next.

"Hey Jack!" he offered in greeting, looking at the older man with an amused grin as he saw the powder sugar covering the lower part of the man's chin; "what you up to old man?" Mac asked as he sat down on the bench in front of his locker to put on his shoes.

"Nothing important" Jack sat straddling the bench besides Mac; I had some performance reviews to finish for Tac Teams 1 and 2 before Matty has a duck", Jack winked at Mac, "I swear that woman has no patience"

"Weren't those reports due two weeks ago?" Mac asked innocently, knowing full well he was right.

"Yeah, but you know as well as I do that Matty builds in a cushion of time for paperwork"

"Maybe" Mac agreed, "but you always like to push that 'cushion' to it's limit, and you know it"

Jack looked at him with a 'who? Me?' look on his face; Mac just shook his head and laughed, thinking to himself just how much he loved that man.

Ever since his father had come to his home and told him about what he had done, the choice he had made on his behalf, and Mac had asked him to leave, Mac was even more aware of just how important those whom he could trust and love, his little family, meant to him; especially, Jack, truly, the only "father" he had.

Jack's cell phone went off, and then Mac's. They both looked down at it and stood, Matty wanted them both in the War Room ASAP; "no rest for the wicked" Jack winked as he took the lead out of the locker room.

Mac wondered if Jack even realized that he was doing it, but Jack normally took the lead out of any room Mac and him were in, always ready to tackle whatever may come their way so that Mac was protected. By being first, Mac knew, Jack ensured that if anyone shot at them, or did anything dangerous, it would be him, not Mac, that would take the brunt of it.

Always his protector Mac thought.

**Present time:**

Matty had sent them off to Denver on what should have been a 'milk run'. The mission was to drop off some sensitive documents to a HLS contact by 10 AM, just in time for an overseas mission to get the 'green light' to take down a very, very bad man who dabbled in arms' dealing and liked to sell rocket launchers to people who enjoyed taking aim at American Planes.

That part of the mission had gone without a glitch. They landed with plenty of time, met their contact and gave him the documents with no issues.

Jack had then said he knew of a great 'hole in the wall' Diner that made a cheeseburger that was a 'religious experience'. Exfil was not due to pick them up until that evening, Matty had added the 'buffer' in case something went wrong, so Mac agreed to tag along for the afore mentioned cheeseburger; I mean, burger, fries, milkshakes, what could possibly go wrong?

As it turns out, everything that could go wrong, did.

They were sitting at the counter enjoying what was an excellent burger, when suddenly 3 goons came in, bursting through the doors, armed to the teeth.

Years of training kicked in immediately and Mac felt Jack move 2 seconds before he did, turning and pulling his gun in one single move, while he dove for cover on the other side of the counter, taking the waitress down with him as he landed on top of her, protecting her with his body.

Gun shots erupted, glass and bottles exploded, he saw one man fall on the outside edge of the counter. A single well-placed shot to the head, a shot surely made by Jack. He heard another man go down, also from a well-placed shot from the Delta commander. More shots rang out and he motioned for the waitress to stay down and make her way out through the kitchen doors to safety, while he started to take inventory of what was around him that he could use to help Jack; suddenly though, before he could think, something exploded and his vision went white, then filled with light and spots, a shock grenade had gone off.

"Jack" he called out, hoping his friend was not hurt; "Jack, where are you?" he yelled as he rubbed his eyes with his hands in an attempt to clear his vision; nothing was going to help the ringing in his ears but time though. He hated shock grenades.

When Jack didn't answer, he started to crawl his way to the other side of the counter when he smelled smoke, then he felt the heat of flames on the East side of the Diner, the direction he was heading, so he stopped. His vision was starting to allow subtle shapes to appear and he could make out the outline of two men laying on the ground; "Jack!", even with impaired sight, he would recognize his 'father' anywhere.

Jack had taken down 2 of the 3 perps and was about to take down the third when the man threw a shock grenade out towards him. Jack had enough time to turn and dive away from the brunt of the blast, but not fast enough. He fell, hard, and was knocked out by both the fall and the grenades' concussive force.

He started to crawl towards Jack, smoke and heat, in addition to the side effects of the grenade, were making navigating very difficult. Suddenly he heard what he thought were footsteps; he stopped and tried to look around for something he could use to defend himself and Jack from any goons that remained; he spotted a large cake knife's outline on the floor near him and he went for it, ready to use it with deadly force if necessary, to defend Jack.

He had poised himself, ready to jump up and attack when part of the ceiling, now on fire, collapsed beside him, sending him and the knife, scattering off to the side. He yelled in pain as part of the ceiling fell on his leg and although, not setting him on fire, it had managed to burn his calf. Mac closed his eyes as pain shot up his leg, holding back a scream. The smoke was making it very hard to see, but that also meant the goons would not be able to see him either; no need on giving away his location by screaming.

He waited for a few seconds to see if he could tell where the goons where but there was no one there, he heard the faint sound of a car starting and he assumed they had decided he and Jack would just die in the fire anyway, so there was no need for them to stick around and wait for the cops and the Fire Department. Mac was relieved. He then turned his attention back to Jack.

"Jack!", Mac yelled as loudly as he could, "Jack, can you hear me?"; Mac's hands were screaming in pain now too, the heat of the floor was causing what he figured would be 2nd degree burns at least, but that didn't matter; he needed to get to Jack.

Jack heard his name coming from far away; why did everyone like to wake him up when he was napping? Didn't they realize he needed his rest? Jack started to open his eyes, taking a breath and regretting it for it resulted in a coughing fit that hurt both his lungs and his aching, spinning head.

"Ugh!" what the hell happened? Jack suddenly remembered, Diner, goons, guns, MAC!

Jack pushed himself up on his arms into a plank position and turned his head to look for his young friend. He then heard, more than saw due to the smoke, Mac's voice calling for him; Mac sounded weak and in pain.

"Mac!" Jack managed to sit up on his own, which caused the whole room to flip flop a few times. He closed his eyes against the dizziness and nausea, unable to take a deep breath due to the fire. He looked around once the spinning stopped long enough for him to start to focus and he saw Mac off to his left, on the ground, crawling ever so slowly towards him. "I'm here kid" he yelled, "I'm coming, hang on!"

Mac finally heard Jack's voice. Jack was alive! That was the only thing that mattered to him, Jack was alive!

He was really having a hard time breathing now, and he was so tired. He heard something shattered to his right, a window, had Jack broken a window? He is going to have to explain that one to Matty was the last thought he had as he let darkness take over him.

Jack stood on shaky legs. He grabbed one of the Diner's chairs and threw it at one of the big windows. He could hear sirens now, so he knew help was coming, but he needed fresh air to come into the place, so he threw the chair and ducked as flames burst out towards the new source of oxygen momentarily then died down again. He took a few precious seconds to stick his head out the window and take a few good deep, smoke-free breaths, breaths he knew would give him the energy to get Mac to safety.

"I'm coming son" the said to the smoke-filled room and went into the hellish fire in search of his boy.

**_To be continued…_**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Jack made his way blindly through a haze of smoke and fire; yelling franticly for his boy. He could not see a thing, but he trusted himself to find Mac before it was too late.

"Please God" he muttered, "if you want to take someone today, take me, but not my boy"; Jack was not a very religious man but at times like these he usually said a little prayer, after all what could it hurt?

Suddenly his feet hit something soft. "Mac!" he yelled and coughed, eyes burning from the smoke the lowered himself to the ground and felt for a shape; he'd found him! "Mac!, Mac! Can you hear me son?" he yelled, all the while grabbing the boy's shoulders and flipping him over so he could get a better grip.

No response from the boy, but again, Jack was not expecting one. He gathered all his remaining strength and picked up his young friend, bridal style, then started back towards the open window; it was the fastest way out at this point since the flames were high, fast and furious, so making it to the front door was not possible anymore. The sounds of sirens were now right outside so he knew help was seconds away, but still, he had to get his boy out.

Jack made his way to the window, swearing a few times as he bumped into chairs and tables and the dead goon on the floor near the window. Once he got there, firemen were running towards the building; he yelled! "Hey! Over here!"; his voice breaking from the exertion and the smoke, still one of the firemen heard him and yelled at the others to come with him as he shifted direction towards the open window and Jack.

"Hi, I'm Steve", are you OK sir?" the fireman asked him.

"Jack" he said in short greeting, then he handed, reluctantly, his precious cargo to Steve and two other men beside him; watching as they carefully placed the unconscious Mac on a gurney that one of the EMTs had brought over. He then grabbed one of the remaining fireman's hand and climbed out the window, wavering on his feet as he hit the ground on the other side, exhausted and short of breath.

"Sir, can you hear me?" one of the firemen asked him, as one of the EMTs placed an oxygen mask over his nose and mouth and a third rolled a gurney towards him. Realizing they were about to try and put him on the gurney and rush him off to some hospital, Jack separated himself from the men, coughing at the exertion, lungs screaming at the sudden removal of the sweet oxygen the mask had been providing.

"Where is Mac?", "Where is the boy?" Jack ask frantically, realizing that in just a few minutes, he had lost track of him.

"Sir", Steve was back, "your son is OK", he approached Jack carefully, like one does a dangerous, scared animal as to not scare it off. Jack may have looked a little worse for wear, but he still had an air about him that screamed danger; anyone who was not blind, or a complete idiot, picked up on it right away; Jack was very much a teddy bear with fangs.

"Where the hell is he?" Jack yelled, not bothering to correct the man, for to Jack, Mac was very much his son.

"He is in the ambulance; we are getting ready to roll with him to St. Michael's ER"; "Come with me Jack" Steve said, "I will take you"

Jack nodded and followed Steve.

Out of the corner of his eye he noticed the waitress that had helped them when they first got to the Diner, sitting on a gurney at another ambulance, oxygen mask on her face, bandage on her arm. Jack was glad she was OK; he knew that would make Mac happy too. There was something off about her though. Jack had noticed it from the moment she came over to them to take their order, but he shrugged it off to his 'old age' and his 'helicopter-parenting' which always made him over protective whenever Mac was around, still…

Jack turned his attention to the ambulance in front of him. Mac was inside, lying very, very still and quiet on a gurney inside it. "Mac!" he yelled, scrambling up inside the ambulance. "How is he?" He asked the EMT that was treating the boy.

"Hi", "I'm Ellie"; "your son inhaled a lot of smoke sir, he also has some nasty burns on his left calf and thigh, as well as the palms of his hands" she stated as she worked to place a second IV in Mac's left arm. "Right now, I'm pushing fluids, oxygen and antibiotics" She smiled briefly at Jack when she said "He is young though and fit, that will help him, but we have to go"

Jack nodded.

"Good luck sir" Steve said as he closed the ambulance doors and hit the side of the vehicle in the classic signal to "go".

Jack sat besides Mac, holding his boy's still hand the whole way. He was so tired; his body was aching, his lungs still burning, his eyes bloodshot. He closed his eyes, for a second, just for a second….

"Jack!, Jack , can you hear me?"

Jack bolted awake, ready to pounce at whatever, or whoever was there and was a threat.

"Wow, cowboy! easy there!"

"Matty?" Jack said confused, he looked around, he was in a hospital room, IV in one arm, oxygen canula in his nose; what the hell happened? He was just… "Mac!"

"Matty, where is Mac?" he yelled, scrambling with the oxygen hose and starting to pull at his IV.

"Stand down soldier!" Matty yelled

Years of intensive training, now ingrained in his DNA made Jack come to a complete stop when he heard the command to stand down from his diminutive boss; he was a lot of things, but he was a soldier first, and he followed orders.

"Now" Matty said in a softer voice, "let's try this again" she grabbed Jack's forearm and tugged, getting him to turn towards her as she spoke.

"Mac is stable" she held up her hand just as Jack was about to speak, "he inhaled a lot of smoke, he had some first and second degree burns on his leg and hands"

"Where is he Matty?" Jack pleaded, "I need to see my boy"

"He is in ICU" Matty deadpanned; "I know you want to see him Jack, and we will make that happen, I promise, as soon as your doctors says it is OK"

Again, Matty held up her hand to stop Jack from uttering his protest.

"That is not open for negotiation Jack" Matty stated, "You were in the ambulance with Mac when you took a header off the bench and passed out cold. You also inhaled a lot of smoke Jack"

Matty locked eyes with Jack before continuing, "You can't help Mac if you aren't well yourself"

Jack sighed, running a hand through his hair, he looked down at Matty and nodded, "Fine, where is that damn doctor then?"

To be continued


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

It took for ever (according to Jack) for the doctor to finally come in and check on him; then it took some of Jack's "charm" and most of his patience to ensure that the doctor allowed him to go see Mac, only if he promised that he would go in a wheelchair escorted by a nurse. Jack agreed. The doctor then allowed him to go see his boy for 30 minutes.

When Jack was wheeled into the boy's room he almost passed out again. His boy was so still. He was laying on the hospital bed, tubes and wires coming in and out from under the blankets. The most prominent one was the hose from the respirator currently doing the breathing for the boy.

Jack knew he should be grateful for the technology that was keeping Mac alive, but he could not help but feel angry at the fact that the boy had to be here at all; he also felt guilty, he should have protected his boy better. He, not Mac, if anyone, should be on that bed.

Jack used the back of his hand to wipe away the tears that seem to be rolling out of his eyes uninvited. He did not care. Jack at this point, cared about one thing, his boy, Mac, and only Mac, was the center of the Universe right now, nothing and no one else mattered.

The nurse that had brought him down to Mac's room looked down at him with a sad smile on her face. "OK Mr. Dalton, I will leave you with your son, you have 30 minutes. I won't be far, if you need me, my name is Julie, just yell, OK? "Jack nodded.

Jack stood from the wheelchair and walked over to the boy's bed, grabbing his hand, his too still hand, and sitting on the edge of the bed. He leaned down to whisper in Mac' ear, still holding the boy's hand: "Mac, son, it's Jack; now I know right now you're taking a little nap, and that's OK, but don't take too long a nap you hear? We have a lot more work to do, more bad guys to catch, and I can't do it without you son"

Jack wiped another stray tear off his cheek as he sat up straight and looked down at Mac's pale face. He brushed a few of the young man's hairs off his forehead, smiling at the knowledge that if Mac had been awake, he would have gotten his hand slapped for his troubles.

With only the noise from the various machines, beeping, humming and vibrating, Jack sat there, at the edge of Mac's bed for 30 minutes, which seemed like 5; when Julie came back in to get him, Jack ran his hand through the boy's hair again and whispered, "I'm going to my room now son, but you stay strong and if you need good old Jack Dalton, all you have to do is ask one of these nurses here and I will come running for you, OK son?"

Jack bent down and kissed his boy's forehead, what the hell, not like anyone but Julie was going to know and he was sure she wouldn't tell anyone. Julie gave him another sad smile and she helped him back onto the wheelchair and out of Mac's room.

It was a very long night for Jack, who could not sleep a wink, the whole night he could not stop thinking of Mac of course, but also of what had happened. He kept running the whole attack through his head, over and over. He could not answer one question the whole time, Why? Why would what was obviously a team of well-trained para-military goons come to a diner in the middle of nowhere and attack it? What were they looking for? Who where they looking for?

"Dalton!" Jack was startled, it was Matty.

"Sorry Matty, I didn't hear you come in" Jack said, running a tired hand over his face.

"Obviously" Matty said, "How are you feeling today? "she asked the older man, concern in her voice, it was not like Jack to allow someone to sneak up on him.

"I'm fine Matty, but never mind me, how is Mac?"

"He is stable", Matty said as she sat down in the recliner besides Jack's bed. "Doctor said that they will start to ween him off the ventilator today and hopefully he can be off completely by tomorrow.

"That is great news!" Jack was elated.

"What is it Jack?" Matty knew Jack for a very long time, he knew him well, he knew him well enough to know even though he was happy Mac was stable and on the mend, that there was something else bothering the Delta.

Jack raised his eyebrow at Matty, shaking his head, "you know me too well Matty"

"Yes, yes I do Jack, so out with it!"

Jack went on to tell her of his concerns about what had happened, about why would those goons be there to begin with?

Matty looked at him, she sighed heavily before saying, "Funny you should ask Jack"

Jack glared at her

"You remember the waitress..."

"Yes, of course, she was flirting with Mac the whole time we were there, why?" "What does she have to do with this mess?"

Matty continued, "When our people got there and took over the scene, we started to ask the same questions you have been asking yourself; we then started to take a closer look we discovered that that sweet little waitress is actually Maria DelCampo Gomez.

Jack swallowed hard, it can't be….

Matty caught his reaction and said, "yes, THAT Maria…" The granddaughter of the most wanted man on the planet, the granddaughter of the most proliferous and dangerous man alive, the head of the Campos Cartel.

"Son of a bitch!" Jack swore, Matty nodded.

"What the hell was SHE doing in that dinner?" Jack asked exasperated.

"Witness Protection" Matty deadpanned.

"You're kidding me?" Jack asked, rolling his eyes.

"I wish I was Jack, I wish I was…." Matty replied sadly.

_**To be continued**_


End file.
